A week of resistance at Ofelia Nieto 29

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The fight of the Gracia-Gonzalez family against Madrid’s city hall tear down threat accomplishes one week. It was in the morning of August 14th when the city police arrived to their home at Ofelia Nieto 29 with the intention of tearing down the building. The reason is 6 squared meters of sidewalk that new urbanistic regulations put over their property in 2004. Since then the family has been fighting against Madrid’s city hall. But police found more than seventy housing right activists inside the house. They were called to camp in the penthouse the night before and some of them even clamped themselves to the roof.

Day 5: “The Other Democracy,” last day of Zapatistas freedom school

The Other Democracy: “For us, Democracy is Not about Election Season and Candidates’ Campaigns”

· “We did not have a theory first, our theory is the result of our practice”

· For us, democracy is not about election season and candidates.

· We start from small to bigger in everything.

· We don’t have minority people dissatisfied because their proposal was not voted for.

· Even our children apply democracy.

Day 4: Unlike the Capitalistic Justice System, you cannot buy Zapatista Justice

Unlike the Capitalistic Mexican Justice System, you cannot buy Zapatista Justice

With so many of their comrades having being murdered by people who are never punished, or else get exonerated and released (like the ones who committed the Acteal massacre), Zapatistas know about corruption in the capitalistic judicial system.

They know about comrades being arrested under false charges, tortured, forced to sign false confession statements, judged by corrupted judges and serving lifetime condemns for crimes they did not commit.

Criminals like the brother of Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, accused of drug smuggling and unlawful enrichment (more than $120 millions US DOLLARS), has just been exonerated of all his crimes two weeks ago, while rural Zapatista teacher Alberto Patishtán still serves an illegal sentence for crimes he did not commit.

So Zapatistas know about justice being bought. That’s why they developed mechanisms to create a judicial system that is not about money.

In the fourth class on Freedom According to Zapatistas, they talked  about how their system avoids favoritism and bribes.

Day 3: Autonomous Schools, Banks… Resistance. #Escuelita Zapatista

“Our Weapons are Our Words, Our Thinking, Our Hearts.”

“We are the Guardians of our Mother Land – it is not a commodity, it’s our mother.”

Zapatistas

RESISTANCE

Autonomous Schools

Autonomous Banks

On their third day of classes in the Freedom School, Zapatistas “confessed” that they are armed – their weapons are their words, their thoughts and their hearts.

The topic of this session was resistance – how their autonomous communities resist three different, simultaneous and constant kinds of attacks: (1) ideological, (2) economical, and (3) military.

Day 2: Women’s Government at Zapatista Freedom School

On the second day of sessions, our six Zapatista teachers from the autonomous communities talked about the Women’s Revolutionary Law which was created since the beginning of their fight (see below the 10 Principles of that Act which was made public since their uprising in 1994).

1. Women, regardless of their race, creed, color or political affiliation, have a right to participate in the revolutionary struggle in any way that their desire and capacity determine.

2. Women have the right to work and receive a just salary.

3. Women have the right to decide the number of children they have and care for.

4. Women have the right to participate in the matters of the community and to take charge if they are freely and democratically elected.

5. Women and their children have the right to primary attention in their health and nutrition.

6. Women have the right to education.

7. Women have the right to choose their partner and are not obliged to enter into marriage.

8. Women have the right to be free of violence from both relatives and strangers.

Rape and attempted rape will be severely punished.

9. Women will be able to occupy positions of leadership in the organization and hold military ranks in the revolutionary armed forces.

10. Women will have all the rights and obligations which the revolutionary laws and regulations give.

Day 1: Zapatistas in their first class on Autonomy

The Zapatista Freedom School online got started this Monday! The first session was on autonomy. “We know that autonomy is a dream, an utopia for some people, but in here it is a reality for us. We are already exercising autonomy, and what we can tell about autonomy is that there is no recipe for it. You should not ask for freedom to the government, you should exercise your freedom. We have seen that it is possible.”

Seven Zapatistas talked to the participants online for two hours. Then, after a 15 mins break, they answered questions.

They first talked about the seven principles of their government:

1. To lead by obeying

2. To represent; not to impersonate

3. To work from below and not seeking to rise

4. To serve; not to self-serve

5. To persuade; not to conquer

6. To construct; not to destroy

7. To propose; not to impose

“To us, the government is a body that provides a service to the people, not a way to make money for yourself.”

Taksim Commune: Gezi Park And The Uprising In Turkey

By Brandon Jourdan and Marianne Maeckelbergh

This short documentary tells the story of the occupation of Gezi Park, the eviction on July 15, 2013, and the protests that have continued in the aftermath. It includes interviews with many participants and footage never before seen.

Invitation to Reclaim the Power – 16-20 August – West Burton

Dear Friends,

We are writing to invite you to Reclaim The Power,  a direct action camp being held near West Burton in Nottinghamshire from Fri 16 – Tues 20 August.

It’s a step towards something very exciting; a coalition of non-violent direct action groups from across the spectrum of environmental, economic and  social justice campaigns. Occupy has been involved in its planning, alongside members of UKUncut, Disabled People Against the Cuts, Fuel Poverty Action, Pensioners Action Groups, Climate Camp, Frack Off and Black Activists Against The Cuts.

 

Camp life

We  are striving to create a beautiful space that will be empowering to  all who want to seek solutions and take action on the social, economic, and climate crises.  All should feel able to participate regardless of age, disability, or previous activist experience. Once there, it will  be up to everyone who attends to get stuck in and help sustain the camp; you don’t need to bring any skills, just bring your energy and  enthusiasm!

The camp will be organised into four villages; these will be  mini-communities where you can pitch your tents, eat, and socialise.  Villages will hold daily morning meetings where important information  will be shared and any necessary decisions taken. All camp meetings will  run through an open, inclusive, and participatory process known as consensus decision making; this seeks to ensure all voices are heard and everyone is happy with meeting outcomes.

Things to bring: tent, sleeping bag, warm clothes, toothbrush/paste, loo roll, sunblock, waterproofs, a torch, and a desire to change the world.

Things not to bring: food (no need), dogs (except from support  dogs which are more than welcome), knives (unwise), and belief that  nothing can change.

Keep moving / Let’s meet in #Frankfurt! Invitation to #Blockupy’s European Action Conference

Invitation in English as pdf (38,9 kB)
Invitation in German as pdf (97,5 kB)

Dieser Post ist auch verfügbar auf: German

October 25th to 27th in Frankfurt/M.
Against the European austerity regime, against the rule of the EU-Troika, for the Europeanisation of our resistance and for real democracy: Blockupy 2013 – they were intense and powerful days of collective action and resistance. Our many disobedient actions highlighted the ways in which the politics of crisis and impoverishment affect our lives and the lives of millions of people around the world.

How the police was bullying the squatters for an hour – statement [EN-PL-ES] #PustotanyWręceMieszkańców

[EN]

 

Moment of the arrest

 

Beating, tugging, threats – such was the intervention of the police in front of the new squat “Gromada” at Worcella St. 8 in Krakow. The officers also took care of the destruction of the evidence – the victims had their memory card in the camera and the mobile sim cards  damaged.

 

Related: https://acampadabcninternacional.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/police-attacks-the-new-occupied-social-center-in-krakow-pustotanywrecemieszkancow/